Making

Happy 2020!!!
Ok, a little bit late but it is still early in the year. And, a long time since I've posted. But I do post regularly on Instagram....
Of course I am busy making things.....like these fun gusseted folders made from old legal files I picked up at ScrapSF and covered with pretty paper.

They are very handy to pack up with letter writing supplies to take to a SF Correspondence Co-op Meeting or to a cafe on the chance you might want to make some mail....

I put a bunch of velum packets inside to organize things.....and they look good too. I find these folders really useful -- I had a Christmas one with all my Christmas supplies supplies (cards, stickers, stamps etc) so when I had a few minutes I could grab it and write a card. And I have some for putting travel ephemera in for each country I may visit on an upcoming trip. All ready and waiting when I want to make a travel journal.
Speaking of travel, I have plane tickets to Beijing.....and, given the circumstances, it sure doesn't look like I will be going....

Made some little pocket folders from the Cavallini Sale postcards I had sitting around...

...and I gave them to the pals I stood in line at Cavallini with as a little souvenir.....

I collect pressed souvenir pennies. Any of you want to trade pressed pennies with me???
Just let me know. I'd especially like some from New York City but anywhere would do...

Of course there is cappuccino.....and Happy Lunar New Year to all who celebrate. The BIG Lunar NY Parade is this Saturday here in San Francisco and if you are looking for
fire cracker wrappers to collage that is where you want to look (down)....

Made my 2020 datebooks. Old school. I like pen and paper.....I had a Japanese theme going on but I'm not sure I will be going to Japan this spring with all the chaos going on....we'll see...

That didn't stop me from working on an altered passport from Japan....
work in process....

Here's one of those gusseted file folders at a SF Correspondent  Co-Op meeting in action....and Italian pouches with mail art supplies made my my pal Dori.

I've been making ephemera packs too....

I'm not sure what I will do with them...trade them? Sell them? 

I'm having a love affair with fabric scraps......These beauties and that gorgeous pin cushion came from ScrapSF. No, I really can't sew but I am determined to hand stitch a fabric book or two so stay tuned...

See? There is a seat at my table just waiting for you. Who is coming over? We could have tea....or coffee.....and I almost always have something around that I baked. And, we could make things....
I was happy to have the holidays over with and a brand new year but it is zipping by so incredibly quickly.....How can it be February already?
And, what are you all doing and making?
Let me know...and also let me know if you want to trade pressed pennies....or ephemera?
HAPPY 2020!!!!!
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Natural Dye

At a flea market in Berlin...All I could think about when I saw these was
RUST DYEING,
Sadly, I couldn't get this stuff home....but I can dream...

But I am tea dyeing. You all have probably already been doing it but I am late to game. Better late than never, right? It is super easy and nice and mindless....sometimes that's nice.
I just add a bunch of tea bags to very hot water in a old darkroom tray I have and add paper.
That's pretty much it. Leave it in till it looks nice and dyed and vintagey. Just be careful taking it out because wet paper years very easily.
I put it on top of granite counters in my laundry room and blot it with paper towel (or a cloth) and let it dry. It gets kind of bumpy, which I like but if you prefer flat, put it under very heavy books when it is dry. And, there you go.

Yep, that's right....the tea bags make nice splotches on the papers....I love the randomness of tea dyeing....

Of Course! Bien Sur!
These are my initials so it's my tea dyeing tea of choice.

That's right...FREE from ScrapSF. Boring white paper.....
UNTILL....

it comes out of the tea bath looking quite different and much cooler. And you can throw in all kinds of papers....I have tags and library pockets and index cards all happily soaking as we speak.

Yes, that's a great stack of paper but what will I do with it, you ask.
Well......

It makes a really nice substrate for collages.....

Also, a nice background to photograph things like ATCs on...or you could fold the sheets of papers in half and make signatures for a book.

(You know me, I cannot leave a postcard or a card alone....I have to customize...)

The backs of the postcards in case you were wondering...

Making a little folder for a pal...

Look at this gorgeous mail from @papertalking on Instagram.
She lives in The Netherlands and just sent me some wonderful mail. Now, I've got to get creative and think of what to send her back.

Another altered Cavallini card going out.

I've got some ATC postcards going out too. I'm busy, ok. Places to go. people to see. And, paper to play with! (and dye)
What about you? Is it summer where you are? We don't have hot weather here in San Francisco but the sun has been shining and I love our cool natural air conditioning.
We don't pools or beaches or swimming in SF.
But we have a lot of fun anyway.
Hope you do too.
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Meanwhile back at home....

What have I been up to?
Well, cleaning my studio for one thing....and it is a BIG job! A little daunting but once you start you have to keep at it, right?
I am making progress....
I will show you pictures when I'm finally done...

And, I've been whining a lot. San Francisco has been crazy hot.  And it isn't normal for us at all. My house has been so hot I haven't been able to sleep, or do much of anything.
But I see some fog rolling in now.....thank God.

I took a collage workshop with Molly Meng at SF Center for the Book. Lots of fun. She is a delightful instructor.

I went to a Typewriter Jam at SF Center for the Book too. TOO much fun. People came and brought their own typewriters and what beauties they were.
I think the biggest hot of the evening was the large type typewriter my friend Monica brought. SOOOOOOOOO cool. I sure would like one of those but it seems they are very hard to come by.

I've been making weekly trips to Scrap SF (the main reason my studio is in such dire need of cleaning and organizing). I found these old photo booklets and changed them up a little to make them Ephemera Sleeve Booklets. Pretty nifty way to organize you small bits for collage, don't you think?

OK, another reason for my overloaded studio is my trips to the SF Public Library book sales....I admit it....I don't usually buy bibles but when I opened it and found that hair inside....well, I could NOT resist. Don't you wonder about the story behind this? I sure do.

More from the library sale....I am repurposing books to make altered books and collages....I just love old, old papers.

Altered Book Show
The show closed and my piece sold.....I went up to Marin to see  the show....

Another wonderful collage workshop at Scrap SF taught by the  amazing Sally Wassink. Just look at those tables! We had such a great time and the hours just flew by.

I dragged out my old Big Shot and have been having fun with some creative die cutting....

My collages made at Sally's ScrapSF workshop

Sending out some mail art of course....

More die cutting (easy to do on a HOT day). I love using very old papers like these for the little bags...

OK, now I think I definitely deserve a gin and tonic....it's HOT and I have been SO good.
That's my story and I'n sticking to it.

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Why My Suitcase Weighed 51 Pounds

My first stop in Portland (after lunch and before even checking in to my hotel) was SCRAP PDX. I went with my pal Karen (Sewmanyinterests on IG) and we were so entranced we forgot all about the parking meter -- for two hours! Luck being with us, no ticket.

The PDX Scrap was three blocks from my hotel, did I mention that?
And -- I went back the NEXT day with Miss Polly & JJAlltheWay.....

I could have taken this guy home for $85.....he may have been handy for the Fast Trac carpool lanes but I passed. I would have had to buy another plane ticket for him.

Karen knew exactly where the boxes -- and boxes -- of rubber stamps were......

It kills me to say this but they had way more stamps I've ever seen here in Scrap SF.
These are only some of the bins...

And more stamps here....you can see why it took us so long to go through all of these...we didn't want to miss anything good.

My basket didn't look too bad -- at first. I forgot to take a photo of it at the check-out but it was considerably fuller.
Rubber stamps, two sizes of Rolo cards, blueprints of PDX, vintage magazines, some old photos, red letter stickers, large vintage index cards with tabs, a cigar box.....

I found the little WISH YOU WERE HERE stamp-- perfect for my PDX postcards (which I barely had time to write).

Postal themed stamps...

I wanted that file cabinet but it would have been a bit tricky to get home on the plane...

I loved the vintage office supply section....

They had loads of Rolodex files in need of some altered rolodex card love......I wanted to buy them all and give them good homes...but....the plane....

Maybe I should...

My SCRAP PDX cigar box with some of my rubber stamps....I was a very happy re-purposer.....
And I went back the next day with JJ and Polly and got in some more trouble.
All I can say is, paper weighs A LOT.

Google "center for creative re-use" and you might find a Scrap near you!

AND THE POUCH WINNERS ARE ---
Michele C (airmail pouch)
&
Bleubeard....I mean Elizabeth for the KITTY pouch....

LEAVE YOUR ADDRESS in a comment (I will NOT publish it) OR send me a message using the Blogger Contact Form on the top right of the blog and I will mail those off asap.
And, everybody else, thanks for reading and commenting and stay tuned...
there may be more giveaways...

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